Seven Little Birds

[abstibus]

Perhaps someone can help me to identify these. I say a group of seven on a rock this morning at the harbour. They seemed to be watching the boats being launched and didn't seem too bothered by human or canine company.
They only hopped about on the rock and so I didn't see them fly.
They were about the size of a starling, with speckled brown and black wings, a very striking white chest and undercarriage and a short beak.
I have tried the RSPB bird identifier with no luck.
Thanks. I know this is a bit vague.

[Iluvspikey]

Sand Pipers perhaps?

[Iluvspikey]

Forgot the picture!


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/005/cache/common-sandpiper_504_600x450.jpg&imgrefurl=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/common-sandpiper/&h=450&w=600&sz=46&;tbnid=Di5YQZ1S3lgUZM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsandpipers%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&;q=sandpipers&usg=__-q4WePMSjiW3s9wUXPGWXoImQgY=&;docid=AxCaa_stiDXrYM&hl=en&;sa=X&ei=qax7UeSMLoHL0QWH5oDwBQ&ved=0CF0Q9QEwBQ&dur=5389

[abstibus]

Gosh, ils, that was quick.
They didn't look like wading birds - they had short legs and short beaks. I wondered if they might be young starlings, as we have a lot of them here.
They looked like a little bird party on a day out at the seaside.

[Iluvspikey]

How sweet! You know I haven't seen a starling here in ages (On edge of the Lickey Hills in Birmingham) I've got a song thrush and a blackbird that sing to me night and morning, robins, blue and great tits, and the two I can't stand, Pidgeons and magpies, I think the starlings all go to the city centre and huddle together on the tall buildings with the hot lights!

[carrust]

Could be 1 of the following; sanderling, turnstone or dunlin. Check the winter plumage of them also.

[abstibus]

Thanks, carrust - great suggestions.
Turnstone is the nearest I can get. I'd never seen them before.

[jomifl]

Heard my first Hoopoe of the year(at the latitude of Agen SW France). Can summer be far away?

[heathfield]

That puts summer about 863 miles from where I live, Jomifl. ;-)